There is a huge, fast-growing community of gender transition desisters, resisters and detransitioners. Their voices are quiet because of vicious attacks by their former trans support groups, and because they’re traumatised. The process often brings incredible self-insight and perspective. In four powerful artworks, young detransitioner Cari expresses what lay behind her dysphoria. We review the social forces that focus a person’s identity on their ‘gender’.

I envied the way boys could pee up walls and really felt as if I was lacking. I tried to pee standing up. Being a boy meant strength, adventure, toughness and vigour; I felt trapped and imprisoned as a girl … Growing up meant loss of freedom, although at twelve I could not articulate that. As my body began changing, I felt a sense of wonder: a deep, but unexpressed, pride and excitement about my maturing female body. Where was the little boy of not long ago?